Belgium Charges Three Suspects With Terrorism

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian federal prosecutors on Saturday said they had charged three men, including a suspect Belgian media believe is a man captured on security footage with two suicide bombers at Brussels airport on Tuesday.

This man, named only as Faycal C and who media say was the man wearing a hat and a light jacket in the picture at the airport, was charged with taking part in the activities of a terrorist group and actual and attempted terrorist murder.

The prosecutor's statement said no weapons or explosives had been found during a search of his home.

Two other men, Aboubakar A. and Rabah N., were also charged with terrorist activities and membership of a terrorist group. Rabah N. was wanted in connection with a related raid in France this week that authorities say foiled an apparent attack plot.

Prosecutors also said they were holding a further man, Abderamane A., for an extra 24 hours. He was detained following a series of raids after this week's bomb blasts at Brusselsairport and on a rush hour train.

Another person, Tawfik A., taken in for questioning on Friday, was released.

Earlier on Saturday Belgian media had named the third man seen at the airport with two bombers on Tuesday as Faycal Cheffou and said he was a freelance journalist.

Le Soir newspaper said Cheffou was identified by a taxi driver who drove the attackers to the airport. Earlier it had quoted police sources as saying it was highly likely he was the third man seen at the airport.

Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swoop on Islamic State militants they link to the bombings at the airport and the metro in Brussels that killed 31 people and to the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130.

The brother of one of the two suicide bombers who died at the airport killed himself in the bomb on the metro.